Loving Lucas Read Online Free Page B

family.”
    “I know.”
    “She told you?” She appears shocked.
    “Yeah.”
    “That’s why she put up with Connor and she bonded with his mother, really liked her. They lived in the same house. But once he started hitting her . . .”  
    I close my eyes, helpless against the images that flash through my mind. “How long?”
    “Months now.”
    “Goddamnit.”
    “Hey.” Marie tugs on my sleeve.
    I open my eyes.
    “Why do you care, popo? You don’t even know her.”
    Good question. Instinct tells me to separate myself from this situation immediately. I’ve done everything I can to assure Karlie’s safety. She’s not alone and has a place to go. But there’s something about her . . . All I know is every time I envision her living with Connor, my heart crashes. “Hell if I know.”
    Marie studies me for a minute, then laughs. “You got it hard.”
    “Nice play on words.”
    That earns me an arm slap. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
    “Can’t,” I admit. “That’s where it always is.”
    “Hungry?”
    I thought she’d never ask. “Starving.”
    “Come on.” She takes my arm. “Let’s grab some burgers.”

Chapter Four
    Marie likes to park her RV close to the track. There’s a streetlight twenty yards away, but it’s cozier on this side of the park, less congested. And now my usually overprotective best friend is acting like a stranger, clearly impressed with Lucas. Not only did she just serve him a plate of food, now she’s seated next to him at the picnic table. What are they talking about? Every few seconds she looks back at me. I don’t even think she realizes it, which clues me in to what the topic of conversation is. Me. The last thing I need is for Marie to interrogate him or try to set us up. She’s already pointed out three or four guys at school she thinks I’d be compatible with. Of course I refused every time, honoring my commitment to Connor. Some good it did—I’m alone again.
    Meanwhile, Brandon and I are busy flipping burgers and toasting buns on the hibachi grill. I refuse to eat regular ground beef, so my buffalo patties get a special corner.
    “Sure you don’t want your own spatula?” Brandon jibes. “Wouldn’t want to cross-contaminate your meat.”
    I give him a little push. “Funny.”
    He shrugs. “Glad you’re safe.”
    “Thanks for everything,” I say. “I don’t know what I’d do without you and Marie.”
    “Well, we’ve both known for a long time the sooner you got away from Connor, the better.”
    “It feels so strange.”
    “What?”
    “I’m single.”
    Brandon ogles Lucas. “Not for long.”
    “Hah!” I sigh heavily, following his gaze. Lucas’s back is facing us. I’m fascinated by his expansive shoulders and narrow waist. “I’m never getting involved again. Life of a nun for me.”
    Brandon scoops the burgers and buns onto a platter and chuckles. “Isn’t that the way you’ve been living already?”
    “Don’t go there, Brandon.” Sometimes I should just keep my big mouth shut. Who else am I going to discuss my life with? Because Connor smokes so much pot and drinks heavily, he has erectile dysfunction. Thirty years old and he pops Viagra like candy. Of course it doesn’t work when he’s plastered. So we haven’t had normal sex in five months. “Besides, what I don’t know can’t hurt me.”
    “That’s where you’re wrong.” He starts for the picnic table and I follow. “You’ve never had an orgasm, Karlie. And God knows that bastard didn’t deserve to be your first lover.”
    Holy shit. The whole world just overheard my pathetic sexual history. Marie eyeballs me sympathetically and Lucas rotates on the bench. His eyebrows arch in question. I cover my face with both hands, pretty sure I should leave or at least spontaneously combust.
    “Shake it off, Karlie,” Marie suggests. “Get over here before your burger gets cold.”
    I part my fingers so I can see her. My appetite just disappeared with my will to